Review: Nolan

/ rtrube54 / Leave a comment
Cover image of "Nolan" by Tim Brown

Nolan

Nolan: The Singular Life of an American Original, Tim Brown. Grand Central Publishing (ISBN: 9781538726549) 2026.

Summary: A biography of Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan focusing on his career and the values that formed his approach to pitching and life.

“There was an athlete once, a pitcher, a ballplayer, who took the baseball every four or five days and set out to throw a no-hitter. Every time. To give up nothing. To give away nothing. To strike out everybody. To win every pitch, every inning, every game, until there were twenty-seven outs, and they turned out the lights and everybody went home. He threw harder than anybody else, and did that not for a year or five or ten, but for nearly three decades” (p. xvii).

That pitcher was Nolan Ryan. And Tim Brown’s description of Ryan in his Prologue captures the essence of what he will elaborate in this new biography of the Hall of Fame pitcher. He won 324 games, and probably would have won far more had he not played for low scoring teams. He pitched seven no hitters, his last at age 42, still capable of throwing 96 miles per hour fastballs. Not only that, he struck out sixteen players. No other pitcher has more than four. Over his career, he struck out 5714. The two active pitchers closest to him are more than 2,000 shy of that number.

Brown begins with his childhood in Alvin, Texas. It’s the place that formed his work ethic, his teamwork and family values.It is where he met Ruth in eighth grade. In many ways Nolan Ryan is the quintessential Texan. Even today, he and Ruth own a huge livestock ranch near Alvin. Then, it is also where a Mets scout “Red” Murff discovered Ryan, a “skinny high school junior with the best arm I have ever seen in my life.” Two and a half-years later, he would be pitching alongside Tom Seaver. Seaver’s discipline impressed the young man with so much raw talent. Ryan would help the Mets win the World Series. It would be the only one in which he would compete.

Brown traces his career with the Angels, Astros, and Texas Rangers. While with the Angels, Tom Morgan, a pitching coach, worked with him on his delivery. Radar measurements were inexact, and measured differently than today. So by today’s standards, he may have thrown as fast as 108 miles per hour in his youth. No wonder they called it “The Express.” Then he moved back to Texas, first with the Astros, not far from his home, Finally, he gave a lift to the struggling Rangers in the concluding years of his career.

One chapter of the book is devoted to Ryan’s no-hitters, the first in 1973, the last in 1991. Each game is summarized. Another chapter is devoted to the “bow-tie,” the times Ryan hit batters. It exposes what a fierce competitor, determined to absolutely dominate hitters. There are recollections of a different, more generous Ryan, in the clubhouse, including the son of a long-time batting coach, Sid Holland.

Brown takes us through the struggles of his last year, when age finally caught up with Ryan, and the game with Seattle when an elbow ligament finally gave out. Characteristic of the man, he simply walked off the mound, said “I’m done,” and didn’t pitch again. Brown wonders whether we will see the likes of him in our “pitch counts” approach to pitching where it is rare for a starter to pitch a complete game.

The last chapters turn to his life after baseball. He did serve as president of the Rangers, setting them on a competitive path, until rivals pushed him out.. But much of his life was on his ranch, with Ruth, and his family. Meanwhile, Alvin would forever show the marks of the town where Nolan Ryan grew up.

I enjoyed the way Brown mixes accounts of his career with insights into Ryan as a person. Nolan Ryan was far more than a gifted pitcher. Brown explores the inner dynamics that contributed to such incredible staying power at such a high level. I wonder with Brown if we will see the likes of him again

Review: The Labors of Hercules

/ rtrube54 / 2 Comments
Cover image of "The Labors of Hercules" by Agatha Christie

The Labors of Hercules

The Labors of Hercules (Poirot, 26), Agatha Christie. Wm. Morrow Paperbacks (ISBN: 9780061746383) 2006, first published 1947.

Summary: As Poirot approaches retirement, he solves twelve cases that parallel the “labors” of his namesake, Hercules.

One evening, an old friend drops by for a social visit. In the course of conversation, the subject of Poirot’s Christian name comes up, one actually derived from Greek mythology. Later, they discuss his approaching retirement and how he might conclude his career, joking about “the twelve labours of Hercules.” After his guest departs, Poirot ponders this aside and determines that he will indeed take on twelve cases that mimic the twelve labors of Hercules. And so the remainder of the book chronicles Poirot moving from and solving them one by one.

The Nemean Lion. In this case, the “lion” is a kidnapped Pekingese dog who is a “veritable lion.” Several Pekingese have been kidnapped from their owners and returned unharmed for a ransom.

The Lernaean Hydra. Letters claiming Dr. Oldfield poisoned his wife are like a “many headed hydra” and destroying the innocent doctor’s practice. But when the body is exhumed, she has indeed been poisoned with arsenic!

The Arcadian Deer. A car breakdown results in meeting a mechanic reminding Poirot of an Arcadian shepherd. The mechanic recognizes Poirot and asks his help to find Nita, a maid to a famous dancer he’d briefly met and fell in love with. She is Poirot’s Arcadian deer.

The Erymanthian Boar. Enroute to a remote lodge, Poirot receives a note from Lementeuil, the Swiss Commissaire of Police, who has recognized him. As it turns out, Marrascaud, who Lementeuil describes as a “wild boar” is going to the same lodge. Marrascaud is a gangster connected to many killings. But Poirot, eager to help, struggles to identify him from among the guests.

The Augean Stables. So, Poirot is back in England, called on the new prime minister to deal with scurrilous rumors about his wife. He devises a clever solution to clean out the “Augean Stables” of rumors.

The Stymphalean Birds. Harold Waring, a British undersecretary is on holiday when two Polish women, reminiscent of birds in their appearance, blackmail him. These are the “Stymphalean Birds” However, Poirot discovers they are not the real blackmailers.

The Cretan Bull. Diana Maberly is engaged to a Hugh Chandler, a promising officer and a “bull of a young man.” But after he breaks off the engagement, claiming he is going insane. Diana asks Poirot to investigate.

The Horses of Diomedes. A doctor seeks Poirot’s help with a young girl, Sheila Grant who is developing a cocaine addiction. Poirot likens drug purveyors to the horses of Diomedes, who feed on human flesh. But as in many cases, things are not what they seem.

The Girdle of Hippolyta. An art owner asks Poirot to investigate the theft of a Rubens painting, The Girdle of Hippolyta. However, another case of a missing schoolgirl interests him more. Subsequently, we discover there is a connection between the two cases.

The Flock of Geryon. The Pekingese kidnapper of The Nemean Lion turns over a new leaf by offering to help Poirot expose a religious huckster (“Geryon”) connected with the deaths of three wealthy women. But her undercover work in the cult puts her own life at risk.

The Apples of the Hesperides. The apples here are on a goblet an art collector bought at auction. But thieves stole the goblin before he received it. He asks Poirot to track it down, a journey that will take him to a remote convent.

The Capture of Cerberus. Cerberus is Dou-Dou, the guard dog at a popular night club run by Poirot’s old friend, Madame Rossakoff. He learns of a drug ring operating out of the club, of an impending raid, and helps Inspector Japp to find who is behind it.

What a novel way to present twelve Poirot short stories and tie them all together. Each one is about the length of what one might read at a sitting. Instead of long, twisty plots, we have short ones with a few twists and a quick denouement. And then Poirot matches his namesake and can retire with honor!

Review: The Light of Faith and Reason

/ rtrube54 / Leave a comment
Cover image of "The Light of Faith and Reason" by Gerhard Lohfink

The Light of Faith and Reason

The Light of Faith and Reason, Gerhard Lohfink, translated by Linda M. Maloney. Liturgical Press (ISBN: 9798400801143) 2026.

Summary: The Enlightenment did not begin in the seventeenth century but in the Old Testament and deepened by Jesus.

Gerhard Lohfink, the Catholic New Testament scholar at Tubingen, passed away in 2024. This work, based on lectures Lohfink gave was first published in German in 2016. Now, thanks to the work of his longtime translator, Linda M. Maloney, we have this valedictory collection in English. The theme tying this lecture material together is that the Enlightenment did not begin in the seventeenth century. Rather, it originated in Greece and in the story of Israel. Then Jesus and the church deepen this story of enlightenment. The first ten chapters elaborate this contention while the last eight address a number of subjects, showing faith and reason working together.

He begins by asking, “Is the Church Required to Undergo Enlightenment.” He traces the idea of freedom back to the exodus story of liberation. A new social order characterized by equality originates at Sinai. As for human dignity, its roots go back to the imago dei of Genesis 1. He then shows how what we consider modern formulations of human rights may be found in late Spanish scholasticism, that these indeed laid the basis for what we call the Enlightenment.

He goes on to show how replacing the pantheon of deities with a single Creator opened up a true love for and engagement with creation. As creatures we live both as those “who are dust” and as those for whom the world was created. Then he considers the election of Israel, and how this was for the nations. But what do they see? Nor a perfect nation, but a defeated one who becomes The Servant of Isaiah 52:13-53:12. He goes on to show how the knowledge of God revealed in Exodus 1-15 create a liberating social structure. He then offers a fascinating chapter that builds on this with working out how the Trinity challenge imperil monotheism.

Lohfink explores how Jesus deepened the enlightenment and how the early church grasped that. He cites their commitment to nonviolence and community. Also, expecting Christ’s imminent return, they lived out the imminent kingdom as something for “today.” Finally, chapters 9 and 10, the concluding chapters of his argument show how the resurrection both fulfills and transforms everything.

The last eight chapters do not seem to hang together as a continuation of the argument. But they sparkle with insights nevertheless. Chapter 11 on “How Paul Talks to His Communities” notes the richness of his imagery, his memorability, clarity, arguments, and his stress on creating community. He offers a reading of Romans 9-11 that argues that Paul is not anti-Jewish. He synthesizes New Testament teaching on how the church gathers, how it resolves conflict, and does mission. And he notes how important a house-based ministry was.

Lohfink offers a long chapter on the New Testament basis of the priestly office, instructive for this non-Catholic to understand how Catholics root the priesthood in the New Testament. He also addresses Marian devotion, arguing the case for the church’s doctrine yet understanding that Mary is one of us, not our mediator but our dear mother with whom we stand before God. Then he concludes the collection with a discussion of the judgment of Matthew 25 regarding the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the prisoner.

What Lohfink does first of all is argue how the reasonable faith we’ve embraced has all that the enlightenment proclaimed on a firmer basis, rooted in the Triune God. Second, he shows in the genius of the early church’s life the practical manifestation of that light in the ways the ordered their life and mission. Rather than accept a narrative that we hear in most western civilization courses that the Enlightenment supplied what the church lacked, he shows that it couldn’t happen apart from the church. I also appreciated the tone throughout. We do not have the polemics of a culture warrior but the patient instruction of a teacher and pastor, bringing out the treasures of insight we find in scripture. This publication is truly a parting gift.

_____________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Sermon on the Mount

/ rtrube54 / Leave a comment
Cover image of "Sermon on the Mount" by Clarence Jordan

Sermon on the Mount

Sermon on the Mount, Clarence Jordan. Wipf & Stock (ISBN: 9798385269792) 2026, first published 1970.

Summary: A Bible commentary combining textual exposition, Southern storytelling, and challenging application.

“They were young, and life pressed in on their hearts like steam in an unpopped kernal of popcorn just before it explodes. They wanted action, adventure, achievement, happiness. To be sure, they lived nearly two thousand years ago, but that does not alter the fact that they desired to make their lives count significantly.”

So opens Clarence Jordan’s commentary on the Sermon on the Mount. We recognize at once the Southern storyteller of The Cotton Patch Gospel. At the same time, we find careful study of the biblical text, and the trenchant insights and applicatory challenges people encountered when they listened to Jordan. At the outset, Jordan makes clear we cannot have Jesus without the sermon, nor the sermon without Jesus.

He begins with two chapters on the Beatitudes, which he describes as a “Stairway to Spiritual Life.” Through all, the kingdom is the blessing, and each beatitude another step. We begin with being deeply concerned with our spiritual poverty, a concern that gives way to mourning. Then we meekly surrender to God’s will. We then hunger for a righteousness that is more than the praise of people. Nourished by God, we show mercy by sharing what we have with others. The truly righteous and merciful recognize that there is no room for insincerity in our hearts as people longing to see God. Finally, the blessed share in God’s purpose of making peace in the world.

Jordan then turns to “The Effect of the Christian Community on the World” (Matthew 5: 10-16). Basically, he contends that if Jesus has set us alight, has made us salty, we can’t hide it. We are witnesses, together comprising a holy city on a hill.

The next three chapters cover Matthew 5:17-48 under the theme “Things Old and New.” Jordan observes God’s intent that we love him whole heartedly, how the teachers had turned the law into cold formalism, and how Jesus calls out whole hearted love. He does so in his demanding challenge to sexual purity, his uncompromising stance on divorce, and the simplicity of saying ‘yes” or “no.” He observes the murderous character of anger. Rather than agreeing with adversaries, Jordan translates the verse as “be agreeable.” He tells a fascination story of invaders taking a town, only to find no one is resisting them. Finally, instead of retaliation, we let ourselves be imposed upon and we love enemies as well as friends. And so is love perfected in the disciple.

The following two chapters on fasting, alms, and prayers in Matthew 6:1-18 concern “Testing Our Motives.” Again, the motives are absolute loyalty and sincerity toward God. The teaching on prayer makes this clear both in how we pray and what we pray.

The rest of the sermon is covered in four chapters. “The Measure of a Treasure” addresses what we count as treasure. Here, Jordan also speaks about how God’s provision is enough that through our generosity, there need be none who are needy. “The Danger of Self-Righteous Judging” (Matthew 7:1-6,15) distinguishes between truth-telling and censorious judgments, which he portrays humorously as “old Plank-Eye himself.” Jordan portrays the dynamic of “Power Through Faith and Discipline” in Matthew 7:7-14 as the disciple who keeps asking, seeking, knocking, and who persists in the narrow way. Finally, “Clear Call to Christian Action” (Matthew 7:24-27) warns of how we set up substitute kingdoms that sidestep hearing and doing what Jesus says.

Jordan is both plain-spoken and concise in his study. While many have written much longer books (this comes in at 95 pages), I don’t think any have written with either greater clarity about the meaning of the sermon. Nor have any written with any more pointed challenges. Yet all this comes across as almost conversational. But for all that, Jordan makes it clear this is a sermon for disciples of Jesus to live.

_____________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Review: Love Your Neighbor

/ rtrube54 / 1 Comment
Cover image of "Love Your Neighbor" by Katherine M. Douglass and Brittany M. Tausen

Love Your Neighbor

Love Your Neighbor, Katherine M. Douglass and Brittany M. Tausen, foreword by Dominique DuBois Gilliard. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802885234) 2026.

Summary: The psychological pathways and spiritual practices informed by scripture that activate neighbor love.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:30-31, NIV)

Two simple commands that sum up the life of a Christian disciple. Clear. But challenging enough to engage us for a lifetime in keeping them. This book focuses on the second of these, how we love the real neighbors in our lives. It addresses the gap between our aspirations and the reality of our practice. Written by a social psychologist and a practical theologian, it brings together both psychological and biblical insights that help us turn aspirations into action, potential into practice.

The book is broken into three parts. The first explores the circumstances that get in the way of loving neighbors. Some of this is knowing who our neighbors are, which I appreciated. I recently realized I don’t even know the names of many of our nearby neighbors. Then we are often in too much of a hurry, not unlike the two religious leaders with the man by the side of the road. Likewise, we may be on overload from both physical activity and mental distractions like our devices. So, we may need some silence and stillness in our lives. Finally, when there are many others who could love, we fall prey to “the bystander effect” instead of taking personal responsibility when we see a need.

But sometimes what we think and feel about our neighbors gets in the way of loving them. The second part addresses this challenge. Firstly, practicing giving the benefit of the doubt helps us deal with negative first impressions. Often, we pigeonhole and dehumanize people. So, personal encounters help us discover the full humanity of others. But sometimes our dehumanizing leads to contempt. This chapter reminded me of the young man in our neighborhood whose loud exhaust and fast driving disturbs me day and night. At the authors’ suggestion, I’ve begun praying for him each time I hear his car. It helps!

Then sometimes our sense of scarcity keeps us from loving. We start seeing life as a zero sum game, where whatever I give is loss for me and gain for another. Instead, we are invited to learn to trust God’s care for us and that there will be enough to go around. Finally, our unquestioned beliefs may get in the ways of helping others in the form of confirmation bias. The authors challenge us to question and explore and think about our unquestioned beliefs about others.

The third section gets into ways we may choose to love better. In a mobile society, they encourage us to treat every place we live as home, a place where we invest. They invite us to grow in listening with empathy, as well as talking less in order to listen. Then, there are many times where simply being present, especially to someone in pain is the most loving thing we can do. Finally, despite our efforts, people may still treat us poorly. Rather than retaliate, the authors explore how we might keep showing up, sustained by prayer and affirmations of our worth.

Each chapter consists of three parts including insights from psychology, theological insights that parallel these, and very practical strategies for living these out faithfully. What I appreciated is that the parallel insights do not seem forced, as has been the case at times when writers try combine psychology and scripture. And they offer very practical strategies.

Our church, a neighborhood church, has been learning to know and love our neighbors, beginning with knowing them by name. I’m going to suggest that our governance team get the book and read it to think about going deeper into neighbor love. I’d recommend it for other leaders groups as well. And any individual or group may profit from reading and practicing what’s here. After all, it just takes us into deeper obedience to the command of Jesus to love our neighbors.

_____________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

The Weekly Wrap: August 30-September 5

/ rtrube54 / Leave a comment

The Weekly Wrap: August 30-September 5

Remembering Wendell Berry

I wanted him to live forever. But Marce Catlett, published a year ago reminded me that Wendell Berry was a mortal, like us all. I loved all of his writing, his fiction, essays, and poetry. On Tuesday, he crossed over Jordan.

Hannah Coulter was my favorite novel. It’s the story of a woman whose husband didn’t return from war, her decision to remain on her land in Port William, and share life with a second husband. Like everything Berry wrote, it is filled with communion both with the land and one’s people.

Land and people. Wendell taught me that love and careful attention to both are central to the calling of us all. We cannot care for the world if we do not love our people and our place.

He warned us to be slow to adopt the new and only do so if it was truly better, simpler, more energy efficient, and easily repaired locally. I don’t know if he wrote about data centers but I suspect he would shake his head at the folly of sacrificing arable land at the cost of huge expenditures of energy and water to impose AI on our population while we increasingly import our food from other countries, often with questionable food safety practices.

Yet amid the folly, he took joy in the bubbling stream, the changing seasons, and conversations with other men while harvesting. Few things were so beautiful as well as useful as a good team of horses. And few things so sustaining as a midday farm meal, with family and workers gathered round.

Thankfully, he left us so much of his wisdom in his books. Meanwhile, Wendell Berry is living his final Sabbath poem.

Five Articles Worth Reading

My first article is really three of the many tributes to Wendell Berry. First, verse from Gracey Olmstead, “In Memory: Wendell Berry.” Secondly, Norman Wirzba combines personal memories of meeting Wendell Berry with reflections on Berry’ sense of people and the land in “Wendell Berry’s vision of a sacred world.” Finally, Barbara Kingsolver, whose father (also a Wendell) worked with Berry to preserve threatened Kentucky lands, summarizes Berry in “Wendell Berry’s Message to Readers: All We Need Is Here.”

Perhaps it is fitting we remember Berry on Labor Day Weekend. One way to do so is to take a deep dive into JSTOR’s archive of articles on labor in “Labor Day: A Celebration of Working in America.”

However, contrary to Berry’s vision, our modern day “tech bros” have pursued a very different vision. In a review of The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State by Jill Lepore, Gal Beckerman fantasizes about taking a time machine to confiscate the science fiction these men read (or misread), that inspired their vision of the world. The review is suggestively titled “We Are Living in the Fantasy World of 13-Year-Old Boys.”

She’s an Oxford John Donne scholar and the writer of the middle grade Impossible Creatures fantasy trilogy. Now, Katherine Rundell has published a book for adults: Why You Should Read Children’s Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise. Amanda Ramirez interviews the author in “Voracious Appetites: PW Talks with Katherine Rundell.”

Finally, Mark Bauerlein writes in “Saved by the Norton” how the two-volume Norton anthology transformed him. It gave a structure and coherence to his studies and view of the world. He thinks these things are lacking in contemporary literary studies.

Quote of the Week

Mary Renault, who wrote historical fiction, was born on September 4, 1905. She offered this watchword for how we ought live:

“One must live as if it would be forever, and as if one might die each moment. Always both at once.”

Miscellaneous Musings

Last week, Dolly Parton. This week, Wendell Berry. I’ve remarked that it seems that I go to more funerals than weddings these days. And it seems this is the season of the passing of many heroes. Perhaps this makes one long all the more for the great reunion!

Matthew Crawford’s The World Beyond Your Head is deliberately titled. He contends our modern world has each of us living in our own autonomous mental worlds. He argues real knowing involves getting out of our heads and into the world of things and flesh and blood people. Crawford talks, as do Michael Polanyi and Esther Lightcap Meek about knowing as personal. I think this is an important message as we are tempted to immerse ourselves ever more in digital worlds.

Recently, I reviewed T.A. Gibson’s A Wayfarer’s Poems: The Invitation. As I was working on the review, I realized he authored an earlier collection, A Wayfarer’s Poems: The Mirror and made a note to get a copy, having liked its sequel so much. Yesterday, I learned the author graciously gifted me with one and gave me permission to use poems in my weekly Bob on Poetry readings. I don’t get paid for any of this, but things like this make it worth it!

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Katherine M. Douglass and Brittany M. Tausen, Love Your Neighbor

Tuesday: Clarence Jordan, Sermon on the Mount

Wednesday: Gerhard Lohfink, The Light of Faith and Reason

Thursday: Agatha Christie, The Labours of Hercules

Friday: Tim Brown, Nolan

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap for August 30-September 5.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.